U.S. attorney for D.C. vows to retry the case

The federal jury deliberating the bribery case against D.C. Councilmember Trayon White told U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras on Monday that it could not reach a unanimous verdict after four days of deliberations, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial. The jury had been weighing a single federal bribery charge against White, who represents Ward 8 and is in his third term on the D.C. Council.

White had pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence throughout the trial. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse after the mistrial, he said the case had weighed heavily on him personally. “This has been a very sobering, a momentous occasion for me,” he said. “This could have caused me to lose my mind, my sense of belonging and my freedom.” A status conference is scheduled after Oct. 14 to determine how the case will proceed.

Prosecutors said at trial that White accepted $35,000 in cash from businessman Allieu Kamara and agreed to accept a total of $156,000 in kickbacks. In return, they argued, White was to use his position to help Kamara’s company, Life Deeds, secure violence-interrupter contracts with the D.C. government. According to the prosecution, video evidence showed White accepting envelopes full of cash from Kamara, who reportedly said he wanted the favor of D.C. officials. White was arrested in August 2024.

To prove the bribery charge, prosecutors had to show that White intended to use his official position to help Kamara. Although Kamara did not ultimately receive the contract extensions, prosecutors maintained that White’s intent was established when he accepted the cash.

White and his defense attorney rejected the prosecution’s theory, arguing that no crime had been committed — that White had accepted money but that it was not a bribe and that there was no quid pro quo.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said her office intends to retry the case. “We have video showing piles of cash being given to a D.C. councilmember as part of a $156,000 bribe,” Pirro said. “Rest assured that we will retry this case and every corruption case to verdict.”

The mistrial leaves the bribery case unresolved pending the post-Oct. 14 status conference. Pirro’s office has not announced a date for a retrial.